Michael Hermann

I was born in Brixworth, Northamptonshire in March 1947. After 5 years at the local primary school I went to the Northampton Town and County Grammar School for boys.

After I left school I trained and worked as an accountant, initially in the public sector and then later in academia. I have written and published short stories, academic books, teaching and learning materials and also poems, but mainly I have been accustomed to writing in a formal, documented manner.

Hopefully my book is a departure from my ‘unemotional’ academic publications.

It was never my intention to publish the research which I undertook for this book, but it evolved largely as a means of achieving my primary aim, which was to inform the present and future members of my family of their early relatives and the key historical and other events which impacted on their lives.

A good friend, Pierre, made a very interesting observation: 'How do you know who you are if you do not know where you came from?' The work undertaken to produce this book has helped me to answer that interesting question.

The research also fitted in well with one of our interests in life - travel. Indeed, following various leads has taken us to some very special places in Europe.

My second aim was to pay tribute to our parents, whose values and beliefs guided and influenced my brother and I as we made our own ways through life.

One of the main themes throughout the book is ‘remembrance’ and the words of holocaust victim David Berger 'I should like someone to remember that there once lived a person named David Berger', remind us that all lives are important.

A second theme which runs throughout this work is research and genealogy. Without the availability of the internet, I would never have been able to undertake this project. For readers who may be interested in the research conducted to support this work, there are two chapters devoted to the processes used and some of the consequences. There were occasional errors, some confusion on my part, a few tedious complexities and a certain amount of frustration, but on the other hand there were a number of surprising co-incidences, discoveries and outcomes. For those not interested in genealogy, these chapters can be ignored, hopefully without detracting from the main content of the book.

Although I am certain that my parents would not have wished me to publish this work, I was recently reminded there are important wider messages which complement my personal aim for the memories of our family members to be preserved.

In December 2018, a friend, Finn, who had encouraged me throughout my lengthy research process, sent me the following message:

'It would be amazing to see the whole story in a published volume. And I reckon it would be a timely reminder too in this day and age where so many people seem to have forgotten what happened. Or at least just don’t want to remember.'

My lifelong friend David, a writer and storyteller and also my 'season ticket companion' at Northampton Town Football Club, has written the following as part of his foreword to Eighty Years On:

'We also learned about the personal characteristics required of somebody intent on exploring the ramifications and repercussions of inhumane policies in Europe, in the build-up to war, during the war itself and in its aftermath. Sections of the book recount the devastation those policies and acts inflicted upon the Hermann family. Michael has been resolute in his determination to investigate and record every piece of evidence that threw light on what his family members experienced, and that has meant dealing with an enormous amount of heart-rending information.

The final sections bring us up to date and in writing about each passage of time Michael has described the national and international background to events. He has been open about family relationships and has included descriptions of amusing characters and incidents, illustrating the lighter side of family life.

Michael is to be congratulated on bringing this very impressive, thought-provoking project to fruition.

These stories need to be told and written. They need to be heard and read, shared and remembered.'

If you acquire this book, I hope you agree.